Developing a national water quality criteria system in China

Water Policy ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 936-942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Zhen-guang ◽  
Wang Hong ◽  
Wang Yi-zhe ◽  
Zhang Ya-hui ◽  
Yu Ruo-zhen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Sediment Quality ◽  
Quality Criteria ◽  
The United States ◽  
Scientific Basis ◽  
Test Method ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Water Quality Criteria ◽  
Water Quality Standards ◽  
Aquatic Life

Water quality criteria (WQC) form a scientific basis for the development of water quality standards. The study of WQC in China has been insufficient. This mini review introduces the progress that has been made towards the establishment of a WQC system in China. A systematic WQC study has been ongoing in China for several years, mainly referring to the WQC system in the United States. Some important kinds of WQC have been studied, including aquatic life, biological, sediment quality, lake nutrient and human health criteria, focusing on the aquatic life criteria in the present phase. Technical guidelines for deriving the major criteria and their values for some typical pollutants have been preliminarily proposed. The future research needs for WQC development include the screening of priority pollutants, the investigation of aquatic biota distribution, establishment of a toxicity test method and the development of environmental quality criteria database, etc.

scholarly journals Geochemical and biological controls on the ecological relevance of total, dissolved, and colloidal forms of trace elements in large boreal rivers: review and case studies

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 138-163
Author(s):  
C.W. Cuss ◽  
C.N. Glover ◽  
M.B. Javed ◽  
A. Nagel ◽  
W. Shotyk
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Trace Elements ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Quality Criteria ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Water Quality Criteria ◽  
Aquatic Life ◽  
Athabasca River ◽  
Biological Variables ◽  
Boreal Rivers

The concentrations of trace elements (TEs) in large boreal rivers can fluctuate markedly due to changing water levels and flow rates associated with spring melt and variable contributions from tributaries and groundwaters, themselves having different compositions. These fluctuating and frequently high concentrations create regulatory challenges for protecting aquatic life. For example, water quality criteria do not account for changes in flow regimes that can result in TE levels that may exceed regulatory limits, and neither do they account for the markedly different lability and bioaccessibility of suspended solids. This review addresses the geochemical and biological processes that govern the lability and bioaccessibility of TEs in boreal rivers, with an emphasis on the challenges posed by the colloidal behaviour of many TEs, and their relationship to the dissolved fraction (i.e., <0.45 μm in size). After reviewing the processes and dynamics that give rise to the forms and behaviour of TEs in large boreal rivers, their relevance for aquatic organisms and the associated relationships between size and lability and bioaccessibility are discussed. The importance of biological variables and different forms of TEs for limiting lability and bioaccessibility are also addressed. Two case studies emphasize seasonal fluctuations and accompanying changes in the distribution of TE amongst different size fractions and associated colloidal species in large boreal rivers: the Northern Dvina and one of its tributaries, the Pinega River, both in Russia, and the Athabasca River in Alberta, Canada. Water quality in the Athabasca River is briefly discussed with respect to Canadian guidelines.

scholarly journals The derivation of water quality criteria for bisphenol A for the protection of marine species in China

2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 156-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Guan ◽  
Lei Guo ◽  
Mark Gibson ◽  
Zhengyan Li
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Bisphenol A ◽  
Quality Criteria ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Scophthalmus Maximus ◽  
Scientific Basis ◽  
Ruditapes Philippinarum ◽  
Water Quality Criteria ◽  
Toxicity Data ◽  
Reproductive Effects

Abstract Bisphenol A (BPA) is an environmental estrogen that occurs widely in the aquatic environment and causes feminization to various species, including fishes and gastropods. This study aims to develop the water quality criteria for BPA in the marine environment using the species sensitivity distribution (SSD) methodology from a scientific basis. Both acute and chronic toxicity data tested with saltwater species resident to China were collected. Additional tests were conducted to supplement toxicity data with local saltwater biota, including mollusk (Ruditapes philippinarum) and fish species (Scophthalmus maximus and Pagrosomus major). Based on SSD modelling, the criterion maximum concentration of BPA was estimated to be 273 μg/L. The criterion continuous concentration (CCC) for reproductive and non-reproductive effects was calculated to be 0.46 μg/L and 4.90 μg/L, respectively. Based on the derived criteria, the acute risk of BPA in coastal waters of China was determined to be negligible with RQs (risk quotients) of &lt;0.01. The chronic risk was however much higher with RQs of up to 0.4 and 4.3 based on non-reproductive and reproductive CCC, respectively. The ecological risk assessment for BPA based on reproductive CCC can, therefore, better protect the safety of marine species.

scholarly journals A sea change ahead for recreational water quality criteria

2008 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandria B. Boehm ◽  
Nicholas J. Ashbolt ◽  
John M. Colford ◽  
Lee E. Dunbar ◽  
Lora E. Fleming ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Quality Criteria ◽  
The United States ◽  
Water Quality Criteria ◽  
Recreational Water ◽  
Research Needs ◽  
Recreational Water Quality ◽  
Epidemiology Studies ◽  
New Criteria

The United States Environmental Protection Agency is committed to developing new recreational water quality criteria for coastal waters by 2012 to provide increased protection to swimmers. We review the uncertainties and shortcomings of the current recreational water quality criteria, describe critical research needs for the development of new criteria, as well as recommend a path forward for new criteria development. We believe that among the most needed research needs are the completion of epidemiology studies in tropical waters and in waters adversely impacted by urban runoff and animal feces, as well as studies aimed to validate the use of models for indicator and pathogen concentration and health risk predictions.

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